April 25 Drive-Thru Pre-Order/Pick-Up New Services, More Vendors

Note from the Market Manager

We appreciate your understanding and especially your patience as we continue to evolve and expand our capacity to serve more customers and bring in more producers and more products. We are working diligently with local and state agencies to adjust our operations to comply with required safety protocol and best practices to maintain the health of everyone involved with the Worthington Farmers Market.

Our drive-thru market would not be possible without the dedicated service of our volunteers, my team from The Worthington Partnership (Thank you, Karen, Beth and Nina!), the City of Worthington (Thank you, Kim, for designing our map! -- copy included below) and the Worthington Community Center (Thank you, Darren!)

And, to you, our customers, neighbors and friends, thank you!!!

Veggie Spy

Arugula Hits the Mainstream

For many years arugula was considered a bit hoity-toity and was limited to Italian cuisine. But recently it has been gaining in popularity among many home cooks. And why not? Arugula greens, with their pleasant, peppery flavor, are a wonderful addition to salads and many other dishes. And arugula is a superstar on the nutrition front. It's loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as antioxidants. And there's more!

Ancient Romans and Egyptians considered arugula to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Outside the US arugula is referred to as "rocket". Whatever you call it, now is the time for arugula! Arugula is available to pre-order from Rock Dove Farm.

The Versatile Vegan loves arugula, especially in salads where it adds zing. Try this recipe for Arugula and Spinach Salad with Citrus.

(https://www.passmesometasty.com/arugula-spinach-salad-with-winter-citrus/).

Fresh Picks Available This Week: Apples (Fuji, Pink Lady, Gold Rush, Golden Delicious), Arugula, Baby Lettuce Mix, Cabbage Raab, Cilantro, Garlic, Herbs, Italian Dandelions, Kale (regular, baby, rapini), Lettuce (baby, heirloom, bibb, salanova, & others), Microgreens & Shoots, Mizuna (baby), Mustard Greens (red, mix), Ramps, Red Mustard, Shiitake Mushrooms, Spinach (baby), Sorrel, Swiss Chard, Turnip Greens (baby)

*** Note quantities are limited, so put your order in early! ***

These producers are taking orders for produce delivery on April 25: 9N Farm, Blue Owl Emporium, Franklinton Farms, Gillogly Orchard, Jorgensen Farms, Kennedy Farms, Rock Dove, Stonefield, Tilley Farmstead, Van Scoy

Go to our Producer Directory for contact information and pre-order instructions!

LOCATION: Worthington Community Center 345 East Wilson Bridge Road, Worthington OH

**Please enter the driveway at the East Wilson Bridge Road entrance** Customer Pick-Up Hours: Saturday, April 25, 9:00am — Noon

Use our convenient Producer Directory to find and place your order(s) with 50+ local producers. Be sure to specify WFM Pick-Up and we’ll have your items bagged and tagged for quick and easy — and safe! — pick-up Saturday morning!

Producer Directory: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PrREVSjXh6d0S_oV3OGpoRFx8EgtV1iDM53pcqArjYc/edit#gid=626793188

Tips for Success:

Pick up your pre-orders like a pro by following these guidelines for our drive-thru market. For your health and ours, this is a minimal contact service.

☑️ Pre-order pick-ups only. NO sales or transactions onsite.

☑️ Hours are 9am-12pm. PLEASE do not arrive before the market opens!

☑️ Please reserve 9am-10am for those in vulnerable populations (seniors and immuno-compromised) and those picking up from a single producer.

☑️ ENTER ONLY from East Wilson Bridge Road - The Worthington Community Center address is 345 E. Wilson Bridge Road.

☑️ Please stay in your vehicle. Just pop your trunk and we'll load your purchases for you.

☑️ Place an 8.5" x 11" sign on the passenger side dashboard or right-side backseat window (not rear or trunk window!) with the following information to help us locate your order:

LAST NAME, First Name

Picking Up From:

VENDOR NAME, Order #

VENDOR NAME, Order #

VENDOR NAME, Order #

☑️ Volunteers, signage and traffic cones will help direct you through the process

☑️ EXIT ONLY via Highland Avenue (connects to Route 23/Worthington-Galena Road)

☑️ Expect a minimum 15-20 minute wait to receive your order

☑️ Please be kind, courteous & patient. We're all in this together, Ohio!

We are committed to supporting small businesses during this crisis and connecting customers to them. We are equally committed to the health and well-being of our producers, volunteers, staff and you, our customers. Social distancing and and safety and sanitation protocols will be in place for the duration of this event.

The Market Sharpener Returns!

The Market Sharpener, Jim Allen, returns! He will be taking your knives, scissors and garden tools, sharpening them, and then bring them back to the next market OR he will deliver them by Tuesday following the market to your home. Delivery is $5 extra. You will receive an invoice for your order and you can pay online by credit or debit card.

You will find The Market Sharpener in Section 5, near our "Pantry." If you are bringing items to be sharpened, please remain in your vehicle and use the table in front of his booth to place your items.

Ride-Up/Walk-Up Station

For our customers that walk or bike to the market, we will be testing a walk-up/ride-up option near our "Pantry" station this Saturday. For your health and ours, if you are riding or walking, please wear a mask during your visit. Pedestrians and cyclists should enter only from Highland Avenue -- all other customers should continue to use the Wilson Bridge entrance.

Upon entering from Highland, look for the "Walk-Up/Ride Up" sign, located in Section 5 near our "Pantry." Let the volunteer or staff member know your name and the producers from whom you have ordered, either verbally or with a sign, and a "runner" will retrieve those items from the producers.

Please Note: We will be using barrier tables to maintain 6' social distancing between customers and our team. The volunteer or staff member will then set the retrieved items on the table for you to pick-up in accordance with our minimal contact service. All items must be pre-ordered and pre-paid.

Need Home Delivery?

Browse the Home Delivery column of our Producer Directory for this option and contact vendors directly to make arrangements for yourself, family, and friends who are staying home right now.

The Market Doctor's Weekly Wellness Tip

Optimize the Sunshine Vitamin!

Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin" is critical for optimal health on many fronts. Vitamin D is naturally produced when UVB light from sunshine exposure contacts our skin. It has been shown that 15-20 minutes of midday sunshine to bare skin will produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, but studies show that 70% of Americans are vitamin D deficient.

How many of us get that much sunshine exposure consistently day to day? Most of wear clothes especially when we go outside. Many of us spend the majority of our day in our homes (especially at this time) or in our offices when working. If we are overweight or have darker skin color, our ability to produce vitamin D is reduced.

Vitamin D is more accurately categorized as a hormone with far reaching effects on nearly every major organ system in our bodies! I will just mention a few that are more specific to our current health situation in the U.S. and around the world.

A ton of evidence suggests that vitamin D is protective against respiratory tract infections. Data from 25 randomized controlled trials from around the world demonstrate that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of acute respiratory infection by more than 50 percent, especially in people with low baseline vitamin D levels.(1) Vitamin D is also a critical regulator of blood pressure, inflammation and body fluid homeostasis. Activated vitamin D, a steroid hormone, is an immune system modulator that reduces the expression of inflammatory cytokines and increases macrophage function.(2)

How can we optimize vitamin D levels and function? Vitamin D availability from foods is limited. Consider supplementation with vitamin D3, 4000 to 5000 IU daily. It is available over the counter, inexpensive, with few mild negative side effects at this dosage. It is important to check blood levels of vitamin D within a few months of beginning supplementation. Optimal blood levels are between 50-80 ng/ml. (It may be difficult to get a blood test currently due to the current pandemic)

Stay the course. Learn something new everyday. We will get through this together.

Be well.

The Market Wellness Doctor

None of these statements should be construed as dispensing medical advice ,making claims regarding the cure of diseases,prevention or cure of any disease state.This information is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. They are solely the opinion of the Market Wellness Doctor. Please consult your physician regarding any specific medical symptoms or conditions. Please direct questions to the Wellness Doctor at mattheweverett84@gmail.com

Sources: 1)Vitamin D may reduce susceptibility to COVID-19-associated lung injury,FoundMyFitness <newsletter@foundmyfitness.com,Dr. Rhonda Patrick.April 18, 2020. 2)COVID-19,Functional Medicine Resources,The Institute for Functional Medicine ,2020,http://www.ifm.org/covid

The Worthington Partnership is pleased to announce that COhatch is furthering its investment in the Worthington community. Together the organizations will continue to drive initiatives to bring positive attention to the historic district, and support professional development and educational seminars for local merchants and business owners. The Partnership also will support soon-to-be-announced COhatch community events geared toward improving the lives of local residents.

COhatch will provide funding, hosting venues and people resources to help design and plan future programs for the community in collaboration with the Old Worthington Partnership. You will also see the COhatch airstream trailer, a multi-purpose office on wheels named "Mobi" at various events.

Thanks to COhatch for bringing energy and resources to Old Worthington! We are thrilled to work even more closely together to enhance the Old Worthington experience.

For more information, or questions related to any of our services, please contact us via email at worthingtonfarmersmarket@gmail.com

The Worthington Farmers Market is an event of The Worthington Partnership.